This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Flat panel display devices have become enormously popular in both commercial and residential sectors. Various television and computer monitor display device technologies, including liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma displays, are now routinely in use in many businesses and homes. One of the advantages of flat panel television displays that customers have found particular appealing is their relatively low thickness, which permits mounting such a display directly to a mount surface such as a wall or fixture.
Although the introduction of flat panel televisions on a wide scale has presented new opportunities to both residential and commercial customers, it has also presented new challenges. In particular, flat panel televisions, while usually having significantly smaller depth or profile than conventional “tube” televisions, tend to be quite heavy. With such large weights involved, it is especially important that users can easily, safely, and securely mount the devices without having to make substantial adjustments. Furthermore, with the high cost of such devices, it is extremely important that the device be mounted correctly on the first attempt: if the device is not correctly mounted on the first try, there is a high risk of damaging the device and causing injury to those installing it.
Many mounting systems include a mounting surface bracket or assembly that is affixed to the mount wall or other surface and a second bracket or assembly that is affixed to the display device and is in turn attached to the mounting surface structure directly or with additional structures. The placement and orientation of the mounting surface structure in relation to the mount surface largely dictates the final placement and orientation of the attached display device. However, it can often be difficult to gauge the orientational accuracy and precision of the attachment of the surface structure to mount surface until the remaining components of the mounting assembly have been assembled and the display is actually mounted. In particular, it can be time consuming to obtain satisfactory rotational orientation of the display such that the display is level in relation to mount surface and surrounding environment. Small deviations in the levelness of the display, for example, when the upper and lower edges of the display are not substantially parallel to the floor and/or ceiling, are easily detectably by viewers and detracts from the viewing experience.
Conventional approaches, such as proper measurement, leveling and templates to secure the mounting system to the mount surface have been only partially successful and can cause inefficiencies during installation. With the challenges associated with obtaining satisfactory rotational orientation of a mounted display, there have been various attempts to develop mounting systems that address these concerns. However, such mounting systems that permit rotational adjustment of the display generally require relatively complex leveling mechanisms that include a number of moving parts and/or interacting features. Although some such systems can adequately level an attached display device, their complexity can make them cumbersome to install, prohibitively expensive for many display installations, and add undesirable thickness to the mounting system to prevent the display from being mounted in close proximity to the mount surface.